In nursing, we hear the word 鈥渃are鈥� a lot.

It鈥檚 the language we use to describe the profession. But what does it mean?

For nurses, care isn鈥檛 just that soft, fuzzy feeling of a hand on your shoulder or a kind word. It鈥檚 more than that. It鈥檚 the courage and grit to care when things get hard. It’s the stamina to keep caring when the odds are long. It鈥檚 the fortitude to make decisions and act when life hangs in the balance.

It takes a certain kind of person to do this work 鈥� and that’s because caring is a calling.

It鈥檚 caring when your shift feels endless鈥� when the ward is over capacity鈥� when your patient takes their fear out on you鈥� when the prognosis is bad. Nurses are leaders, teachers, and caregivers who act in the moment for the benefit of others. They show up and they keep up.

Let鈥檚 dispel the myth of nursing as a profession of the nurturer and embrace the nurse warrior, who cares deeply in the fight for life. Let鈥檚 take a moment to appreciate what the profession of nursing entails and why nurses are essential to the health and well-being of our society at large.

Healthcare Isn鈥檛 a System 鈥� It鈥檚 a Collective

Those of us inside the healthcare 鈥渟ystem鈥� know that it鈥檚 a misnomer. 鈥淪ystem鈥� is a reductive term for something that is much more than that. Care comes from the people, not the system, and the people of healthcare are stronger, wiser, and more dedicated than their organizational infrastructure.

Healthcare is a team sport 鈥� a collaborative effort dedicated to the relentless pursuit of health and life. It鈥檚 check-you-chart, check-your-morale, check-on-your-teammates work where the sum is greater than its parts. Nurses work in lockstep with each other and with the entirety of a healthcare facility鈥檚 personnel to save lives.

Each patient participates in their own health, too, and the connective tissue between a patient and their treatment is often their nurse. After all, nurses make up the , and they鈥檙e the primary providers of patient care in hospitals, according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. Nurses are synapses of communication between patients and their doctors, keeping both sides informed, empowered, and on the right path to health.

Nursing Roles: Touching All Aspects of Life

There鈥檚 no overestimating the impact of nurses throughout our lives, including during many milestones. Nurses work with every age population, from neonatal to hospice. They help bring us into the world, and they help ease us out of it. They take our vitals and ask us about our medical histories without judgment. They participate in some of our most critical medical moments. Even when we don鈥檛 know them by name, we .

The settings in which nurses work are as varied as their skill set. Nurses work in hospitals, in homes, in schools, and in prisons.^1,2 They can specialize in family medicine, geriatric care, pediatrics, women鈥檚 health, and more. They can conduct research, teach in universities, and affect healthcare policy. And all of that is by no means a comprehensive inventory of the nursing purview.

When it comes to care, nurses strike just the right balance between science-based decisions with human compassion. Becoming a nurse means relating to a patient in more ways, perhaps, than any other profession.

An Education That Lays the Foundation for Quality Care

To say a nursing education is a well-rounded education is a gross understatement. Nurses at the undergraduate level study general education topics as well as a series of demanding subjects that require a high level of versatility. (To get a sense of their diversity in education, check out WCU鈥檚 )

Nurses who pursue advanced degrees face additional rigor, and those who pursue the highest levels of education and specialties must develop fluency in complex disciplines.

Nursing school at all levels is for students with an appetite for challenge. It鈥檚 an education that is equal parts academic and hands-on learning, and it trains both your intellectual and muscle memories for work that requires all-in commitment. This is not a desk job, and even when you are doing paperwork, the stakes remain high.

As a nursing student, you鈥檒l study the sciences and fundamentals specific to nursing, but you will also learn about communication, public health, research, mental health, family and community dynamics, and more.

You鈥檒l do homework and lab work. You鈥檒l participate in simulations and clinical experiences. You鈥檒l graduate with knowledge and skills you鈥檒l need to make a difference for those who will need you.

国产主播鈥檚 Devotion to Future Nurses

At WCU, we are continuously inspired by the nurses of tomorrow that we see in our classrooms today. We鈥檙e invested in each and every student鈥檚 success, from the first day of their program until well beyond graduation.

We鈥檙e focused on our students getting to where they need to go to create the impact they want to in the world. At WCU, that means giving you a quality education and helping you achieve your goals to embark on the exciting, intense, challenging, and deeply rewarding work of a nurse.

Getting Started on Your Nursing Education Journey

Whether you鈥檙e ready to start working toward your goal of becoming a nurse or you want to build on your skill set as an existing nurse, we have the curriculum and learning resources you need. Explore our online and campus nursing programs, or fill out the form on this page to request more information.

We want to help you achieve your goals so you can make a bigger impact!

Citations:

¹ Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Registered Nurses, 鈥�,鈥� Updated Sept. 8, 2022

² International Association of Forensic Nurses, 鈥�,鈥� Accessed April 27, 2023

WCU provides career guidance and assistance but cannot guarantee employment. The views and opinions expressed are those of the individuals and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs or position of the school or of any instructor or student.